Numerous systems and methods are known where keys (i.e. cryptographic public/private keys) are used as identities (public key for identifying an individual or a respective hardware device) and for signing commitments on behalf of these identities (private key).
In a known architecture, the keys are controlled by computer entities forming the nodes of a network, and (as far as the public keys are concerned), are communicated therein in peer-to-peer with attributes associated thereto.
In the common meaning, an identity can be materialized by a key if features (or attributes) are associated thereto and can be interpreted by humans, so that the identity represents a particular entity that can be recognized by its features. To a key can be associated for instance a photo, a name, an email address, a phone number, an organization or a department to which someone belongs, the role and management level in such organization, a distinctive sign, biometric data, a bank account identifier, a social security number, data of an electronic passport signed by a government, etc., or else a set of such features.
Also known are various secure processing architectures between different pieces of equipment, in particular those based on a blockchain.
Also known are secure system-on-chips, in particular for use in the Internet of Things.